Haven't used big stoppers for years. You just don't need them with a double rack of cams. I don't use Tricams either.

I love the dmm offset nuts, they fit every where!
Iv even set 1 every 10' for a ~120' pitch and no cams.
this was in yosemite ofcourse

My rack will change depending on the route. I for one get lazy eyes finding passive placements when I have cams in the same size range. At least a couple times a season I will climb with only nuts and tricams. It really tunes my eyes and adds a different feel to a route.

I'm not a big tricam fan, but I continually try to like them better. Replacing some of the larger stoppers with them really does make a lot of sense. Over the years I've used them quite a bit, and I know of some flaring horizontals in the Gunks that will not take anything else. They make excellent passive nuts, and they fit places cams won't because of a much narrower head width than any comparable cam. The same narrowness makes them effective in shallow vertical slots that a cam won't go in to.

I don't think cleaning is a big deal, but you have to know what to do. (So does the leader, who shouldn't be burying them out of reach.) Unlike cams and many nut placements, it often takes two hands and a nut tool to get out a cammed tricam. On steep stuff where you can only let go with one hand, this will mean you have to hang on tension or else place another piece to hang from.

Often, the first step is to release the camming action by hooking the nut tool behind the "stinger" and jerking straight out (for horizontal placements) or straight down (for vertical placements). Then you often have to keep the nut tool behind the stinger while manipulating the tricam with the other hand, otherwise the whole unit can slide deeper into the crack and become irretrievable.

As for whether to carry nuts in the larger sizes at all, I'd say that if you continue to place cams in those sizes and you aren't also placing the corresponding size nuts, then you probably are just missing opportunities, including ones where, because of constrictions, the nut will really be the better choice.

I have always loved Tricams. I also always carried a fist full of wires, since you could carry a lot of options for very little weight. I had an eclectic collection of stoppers, brassies, HB,s DMM,s , etc..., but my fav piece was an old style, circa 1973 #7 stopper on blue 1" tubular webbing... Overlapped my #2 Trike...

Some how it always found a placement... Saved my ass enough times that it became a cherished piece, a lucky charm... Was really bummed when I had to use it as a bail piece on Flamingo Fling in the Bugs...

If you found it, I would pay for its return...

I can totally see replacing big stoppers with tricams now that I've been Gunk climbing for a few years.

It is kinda weird to trust the rolled pin/hinge thingies on them but I haven't heard any horror stories so maybe the 11,12 and 13 could stay at home

Just noticed CAMP redesigned the smaller Tricams (now called Tricam Evo) with tapered sides so you can place them in a third orientation as well as stiffer slings...





www.cleveroutdoorgear.com/2012/08/camp-tricam-evo.html

www.backcountrygear.com/tricam-evo-set.html

Unfortunately, those stiff slings are going to make horizontal placements worse.

I love tricams as well. I had not seen those tapered tricams. I am going to have to check those out. I also use the wired cams by diamont. They are easy to place with one hand and can fit basically any where an equavilant cam can be used. Down side is they have no passive placement. They are basically another lighter version of a cam with less moving parts.

Use what you need(or have). Nothing beats a big fat stopper.
Springy things are useful, but sometimes not as solid.
You are definitely gonna die.
Cheers!

Camp doesnt even have anything on their website about these new tricams??? You think they would have a cool video and a bunch of hype like BD has done with the X4.